Category: The Goodwill Blog

Goodwill Industries of Western New York (Buffalo) recently announced the formation of the Western New York Coalition for Donated Goods (WNYCDG). WNYCDG is a consortium of local nonprofit organizations including Salvation Army, AMVETS, Hearts for the Homeless and the City Mission. The Buffalo Goodwill played a key role in organizing the coalition with the help of the New York State Textile Recycling Association and Buffalo Mayor Byron Brown’s recycling department.

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Autumn is hitting us hard in the Northeast. In typical New England fashion, our weather was sunny and 80 degrees one week, then we were surprised with frost warnings the next. The chill now lingering in the air and the already-colorful leaves are putting me in the mood for hibernation. Someone please tell me I’m not the only one! Let’s all just settle in and ready our homes and ourselves for the cooler days ahead. Of course, that means we’ll have to start with a trip to Goodwill®! Here’s what I’ll be looking for.

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National Employ Older Workers Week, held annually the last full week of September, recognizes the vital role of older workers in the workforce. It also showcases the Senior Community Service Employment Program (SCSEP), which provides on-the-job skills training to individuals 55 or older with limited financial resources. Since its inception in 1965, SCSEP has helped more than one million older Americans enter the workforce.Goodwill agencies in 14 states are providing services under the SCSEP program, and last year they helped more than 2,700 seniors put their years of experience and reliability to work in today’s workforce.

READ MORE from Goodwill® Celebrates the Contributions of Older Workers

It’s an exciting moment. After working on your résumé or application and doing everything perfectly, you get the call—the company wants to have you in for an interview. You have a foot in the door, but how do you go from getting the interview to getting the job? You’ll want to make the best impression that you can; here are just a few suggestions of things that you can do to have a successful interview.

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Earlier this summer, nearly 40 businesses and organizations collected more than 15,000 pounds of interview-appropriate attire in the annual Put Your Clothes to Work corporate clothing drive for Morgan Memorial Goodwill Industries (Boston). The donated clothes are used at the Boston Goodwill’s quarterly Clothing Collaborative for Job Trainees.

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By now, educators are noticing voids in their classroom supplies or annoyances regarding the organization of their space, yet the annual budget has probably already been spent or allocated for later purchases. It’s no secret that most teachers end up paying for many (if not most) of their classroom needs out-of-pocket, so costs need to be low. Cue Goodwill!

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Many from Goodwill®, including myself, are attending the Corporation for Enterprise Development (CFED) Assets Learning Conference in Washington DC. The timing couldn’t be better, or more ironic. Six years ago this week, the world was hurtled to the brink of an economic precipice it hadn’t seen in nearly 80 years when Lehman Brothers, one of the oldest investment firms on Wall Street, announced it was filing for bankruptcy. Today, we still face challenges caused by the Great Recession. Too many are still unemployed; many more are working, but earning far less than in 2006 or 2007. And while the stock market has rebounded and stands 2,500 to 3,000 points over its pre- Recession high of 14,100, the middle class has significantly declined.

READ MORE from Looking Back, Moving Forward

Traditionally, searching for a job meant face-to-face networking, going through classified ads in print publications, and attending job fairs. Today, using social media to network and find job opportunities can give you a big advantage over individuals who are only using print and in-person approaches to landing a job. Each social network has its particular advantages, but there are three sites that deserve special consideration from job seekers.

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Goodwill Industries of East Texas (Tyler) showcased the latest trends in school uniforms, casual dress and outerwear during its back-to-school fashion show held on August 14. The show was a part of the city of Tyler’s first #SchoolisCool event which helped prepare children and parents for the new school year.

READ MORE from Tyler Goodwill Shows Area Residents that #SchoolisCool through Fashion Show

If you’re looking to spruce up that one wall of your living room, or to extend a certain decor theme throughout your home in order to tie every room together, displaying a collection can be an easy and effective way of doing that. Creating your own gallery can be as easy as setting up some shelves and showing off your favorite treasures.

READ MORE from Goodwill®: The Ultimate Collection Resource

Recently I attended a discussion on citizen activism and coalition building. In order to advance the public policy priorities of Goodwill® and the people we serve, I often have to work within coalitions made up of broad interests. I also wanted to learn more about what motivates citizens to become engaged. Little did I know that the conversation would lead me to reflect on not only how the lessons learned can be attributed to my work and the work of Goodwill, but also my own personal experiences.

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Putting together a career plan means more than just thinking about what jobs you want to have. It requires you to think about your interests, values, skills and preferences; explore the life, work and learning options available to you; and ensure that your work fits with your personal circumstances. Learn more about how to include education in your career planning efforts in Goodwill's latest career advice post.

READ MORE from How to Include Education in Your Career Plan